Competition success for Tewit Youth Band

Finola Fitzpatrick

Tewit Youth Band entered the Brass Factor entertainment competition on November 12, flying the flag for young people in the district as the only Youth Band competing.

The band took to the stage at the Engine Sheds in Wetherby with their Musical Director Martin Hall.

Tewit Youth Band takes to the stage

President of the Tewit Youth Band Colin Gibbs, said: "Being a youth band, they lose members at the age of eighteen to go to university, and in September they lost the unprecedented number of sixteen, which was almost half the band.

"With young members coming up from the Intermediate Band to take their places, some as young as eleven, they’ve had to work extremely hard over the last seven weeks to get up to the standard required.

"Undaunted, and under their Musical Director Martin Hall, they took the stage looking very smart in their red jacket uniforms for this first performance. Opening with the great Olympic Fanfare and Theme the band stood to present a splendid sound. Sitting down they played a traditional Brass Band March in Barnard Castle, which was much appreciated by the audience.

"For his first solo, young Gabriel Snowden played Goodbye to Love on the Tenor Horn with the confidence and expertise far above his years, followed by Feather Theme. Another solo on the percussion drum kit of Henry Mills came the famous Cute by Neil Hefti, which was a very soft execution splendidly played.

"To round off the performance the whole band exploded with a dynamic rendition of Hootananny, which had the entire audience joining in with clapping and applauding their dancing at the end.

"Not expecting to win on this first outing the band came just outside the first three and were pleased to compete well against great, experienced, opposition. They had the satisfaction of winning the prize for the youngest player in the competition with Ben Fearnley, who was only just eleven years old."

The Tewit Youth Band's Christmas concert will be held at The Forum in Harrogate Grammar School on December 21 at 7pm.